


The Swordsman's Birthday

by Ash_W1llow



Series: One Piece Modern AU [5]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Birthday Party, F/M, M/M, Sanji Is Not A Vinsmoke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:15:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27520612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ash_W1llow/pseuds/Ash_W1llow
Summary: It's Zoro's birthday, and Sanji's got plans!
Relationships: Franky/Nico Robin, Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Series: One Piece Modern AU [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1705750
Kudos: 12





	The Swordsman's Birthday

Zoro woke up to the sun shining through the window, and Sanji laying beside him. The cook rolled over as he felt the other shifting, and grinned. "Morning, Marimo. D'you remember what day it is?"

Zoro sighed, racking his tired brain for whatever day it was. "Do you seriously not remember?" The swordsman shook his head, and Sanji chuckled. "It's your birthday, you idiot!"

"Oh yeah, it is, isn't it?" Sanji only laughed harder at this, wrapping an arm around Zoro's waist.

"So, do you wanna go do something?"

"Like what?" The swordsman yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. 

The cook shook his head, sighing as he grinned. "Anything you want! It's your birthday, after all."

"Right now, I just wanna stay in bed for a while."

"Of course you do, Marimo." Sanji lay his head on Zoro's shoulder, closing his eyes. "Luckily, you have birthday powers today."

The swordsman smirked, stroking the cook's hair. "Sure. It's not like you wanna lay here just as much as I do," he taunted.

"Exactly," Sanji murmured. 

"I see. So, did you have any ideas for later today?"

"I did, actually. We could go have a picnic, if you want. Perona invited us over for a party this afternoon, I'm not sure what she's got planned."

Zoro closed his eyes, pulling Sanji closer and humming softly to himself. "A picnic sounds nice," he decided. "Let's do it."

The cook smiled, burying his face in Zoro's shoulder. "Let's do it," he echoed. "I'll start preparing as soon as we get up. I know a pretty good picnic spot by the river, but it's a bit of a hike."

"A hike sounds nice, too. I don't mind." The swordsman smiled, a yawn escaping. "So, when are we getting up?"

"As soon as you want to."

"If it was really up to me, we'd be here all day, you know." 

"Good point, good point. Should we get up now?" Sanji rolled over, smiling at Zoro. 

"Yeah, we should. We can have breakfast, then start packing lunch. How long does it take to get there?"

"From here, about an hour, maybe?" The cook stood up, grabbing a hoodie from the closet and pulling it over his t-shirt. "Put a shirt on, Marimo." Sanji smirked before leaving the bedroom, leaving Zoro alone. It took the swordsman a while to finally get up, but he eventually did, pulling on a shirt and following after the cook. 

"What's for breakfast?"

"What do you want for breakfast? It's your birthday." Sanji was already rooting through cabinets, grabbing silverware and dishes. 

"I couldn't care less," Zoro replied, sitting down on the couch and watching the other prepare. 

"Really? So I could just give you a plate of, say, chocolate, and you'd eat it?"

The swordsman sighed, stifling a laugh. "You know what I mean!"

"Sure I do. Seriously, though, does bacon and eggs sound good to you?"

Zoro nodded, resting his chin on his arms. "Sounds great to me, actually." 

Sanji started fishing ingredients out of the fridge, occasionally looking back at the swordsman. "Coffee?"

"Sure, why not?" Zoro stood up and walked over to the other, resting his chin on the top of Sanji's head.

"You're clingy today," the cook noted, not looking up from his work.

Zoro grinned and wrapped his arms around Sanji's waist, closing his eyes. "Birthday powers, remember?"

The cook rolled his eyes, reaching up and stroking Zoro's hair. "You're lucky that it's your birthday."

"I know, I know." 

The smell of bacon and coffee soon filled the air, and the swordsman seated himself at the table as Sanji set plates and silverware down. The cook filled two mugs with coffee and set one in front of Zoro, and the other at his own spot across the table. The swordsman sipped at his coffee while Sanji piled bacon and eggs on both plates.

"Thanks," Zoro said, smiling as the other sat down.

"It's no problem," Sanji replied, picking up his fork. Zoro did the same, and quickly cleaned his plate. 

"Geez, is the food good?" The cook joked, causing the swordsman to roll his eyes.

"Of course it's good, you made it."

"You want more?"

Zoro nodded, and Sanji took his plate to the counter, swiftly returning with more food. The cook had just finished his food by the time Zoro was finished with his second serving.

"You're awfully hungry today," Sanji remarked. "Should I make more than usual for lunch?" 

The swordsman shook his head as he brought his dish to the sink. "I forgot to eat dinner last night, remember?"

"Oh yeah, you did. You fell asleep before you could eat, if I remember." 

Zoro grinned as he returned to the couch. "Yeah. I was too tired from training."

Sanji laughed as he started placing empty pans in the sink. "What were you thinking for lunch?"

"Onigiri," Zoro decided. "And whatever else you feel like."

"Why did I even bother asking?" The cook smiled as he started pulling more ingredients out of the fridge and cabinets. "I'll make sandwiches and lemonade, too."

The swordsman nodded in agreement, drumming his fingers on the back of the couch. "Sounds good to me."

It was almost an hour until the cook had finished making lunch. Zoro had turned on the television and was flicking through channels, chatting with Sanji.

"Hey, Marimo? Where's the picnic basket?"

The man turned around to face the kitchen, looking around the room. "Should be in the bottom cabinet next to the stove." The cook checked the cupboard in question, and pulled out the picnic basket. 

"Thanks," he called back, placing the food in containers and stacking them in the basket. 

"Need help with anything?" Zoro turned the TV off and stood up, joining the cook in the kitchen.

Sanji nodded, pulling a pitcher from a cabinet and setting it on the counter. "Could you juice a couple lemons?" 

The swordsman nodded, opening the fridge. "How many?"

The cook shrugged, pulling a juicer out of a drawer. "Maybe five?"

Zoro nodded again, setting five lemons on the counter. "So, I've just gotta juice them?"

"Yep," Sanji confirmed, setting a small saucepan on the stove. The cook poured water and sugar in the pan and turned on the stove, stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon.

"What are you doing?" Zoro looked up from slicing the lemons in half, raising one eyebrow.

"Making a simple syrup," Sanji replied, not looking up from his cooking. "By combining the sugar and the water into a syrup, the sugar won't all sink to the bottom."

The swordsman grinned, rolling his eyes. "That's the fanciest way to make lemonade that I've ever seen."

"You'll thank me when your lemonade doesn't have sugar at the bottom."

Zoro chuckled, slicing the last lemon clean in half and beginning to juice them, pouring the juice into the pitcher. "I know I will. And I may not be able to go back from your fancy lemonade," he joked.

"Of course. You'll lie awake at night craving my lemonade." Sanji smiled, continuing to stir the pot. "You done juicing those lemons?"

"Yeah, I have two more to do." The man emptied the juicer into the pitcher again, starting to juice another lemon slice immediately after.

"You're pretty fast, huh?"

Zoro nodded, juicing the last half and grinning triumphantly when he finished. "Now what?"

"Now I just have to add the syrup, then some more water. Then we have to chill it for a while." Sanji poured the contents of the saucepan into the pitcher, adding some cold water from the tap. The cook then opened the fridge again and set the pitcher inside, closing the door and setting the saucepan and juicer into the sink. "And now we wait. It'll take about half an hour, then we can go. The park isn't that far away, we can walk the whole way."

"Right," Zoro agreed, returning to the couch once more.

"You go get dressed, I'll pack a bag with stuff for the hike." Sanji grabbed his backpack from a hook by the door, and rooted through the cupboards again, pulling out two water bottles. He filled his own bottle and tucked it into one of the side pockets. Meanwhile, Zoro returned to the bedroom and got dressed, swapping his t-shirt and sweatpants for a different, less wrinkled t-shirt and jeans. He pulled on a pair of socks and quickly emerged from the room. The cook tossed an empty water bottle in the man's direction, and Zoro barely managed to catch it on his way over to the sink, filling it with water. 

"Nice catch, Marimo."

"Thanks," the swordsman muttered, replacing the cap and putting the bottle into one of the backpack's side pockets. "Do we have a first-aid kit?"

"Already in there," Sanji confirmed.

"Good. Can we go now?"

The cook shook his head. "The lemonade isn't fully chilled yet."

Zoro sighed, sitting down at the table. "Isn't the picnic basket insulated, though? We can put some ice packs in there and it'll be cold by the time we get there."

"You're right, I suppose." Sanji selected a few ice packs from the freezer and slipped them inside the basket, then returned to the fridge to grab the lemonade. The cook grabbed some ice from inside the freezer, and dropped them into the pitcher before putting the lid on and gently placing it inside the basket. "I've just gotta get dressed, and then we can go." 

Sanji ran into the bedroom and soon returned to the kitchen, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, a sweatshirt tied around his waist. "I'm ready, let's go!"

"Right," Zoro agreed. "I'll take the food, and you can take the backpack."

The cook nodded and began switching off lights, slinging the backpack over his shoulders. The swordsman took the picnic basket from the counter and slipped his combat boots on, already halfway out the door. Sanji followed him, putting his sneakers on and closing and locking the door behind him. "Lead the way," Zoro said, taking the cook's hand in his own. Sanji started walking down the sidewalk, keeping a tight grip on Zoro's hand.

"Wouldn't want you to get lost, would we?" Sanji grinned as he crossed the street, the swordsman in tow. "It's not that far, we're almost there already." 

A few minutes passed, and they arrived at the beginning of the trail, leading right to the sidewalk. "Here we are," the cook announced, and the two set off.

"The trees're nice this time of year," Zoro commented, looking up at the canopy of vivid yellows, reds and oranges.  
"You're lucky, you know. It's always cold on my birthday." Sanji kicked at the fallen leaves blanketing the forest floor, still keeping hold of the other's hand. "Speaking of which, it's cold today."

The man stopped walking and set his backpack on the ground for a moment, untying the sweatshirt around his waist and pulling it over his head. "That's better," he sighed, picking his bag up again. 

They walked in silence, taking in the beauty of the forest, only speaking to point out the occasional bird or deer. Eventually, the rushing of water could be heard, and Sanji started to walk faster.

The two emerged from the forest into a clearing on the riverbed, with a few large, flat rocks sitting in the middle. 

"This is the spot I was talking about, you like it?"

Zoro nodded, looking around the clearing. "This is the perfect spot," he decided. "Let's eat."

Sanji took the basket from Zoro, letting go of the swordsman's hand. He carefully climbed to the top of one of the rocks, and gestured for Zoro to do the same. The swordsman clambered up the rock, gazing down at the river as he reached the top. "The view's really nice, isn't it?" The cook nodded, opening the basket and pulling out the food. A plate of sandwiches, a container of onigiri, and the pitcher of lemonade, as well as a small box, small enough to fit in both of Sanji's hands. He opened the box and pulled out a cupcake, with three tiny plastic swords, near-perfect replicas of Zoro's, sticking out of the top. The cupcake had a plain white wrapper, and pastel green frosting.

"Do you like it? Perona made the cake, and Usopp, Franky and Robin worked together to make the swords. They said it's like a sample of the cake they made for the party tonight."

Zoro took the dessert in both hands, examining the small swords. "I love it," he whispered, gently pulling the swords from the frosting. "I'm gonna keep these swords," he announced, licking the green frosting off of each before putting them in his pocket. 

"I'm glad you like it. You should try it, too. Perona showed me the recipe, and it should be really good."

Zoro nodded, peeling the wrapper off of the cupcake and taking a bite out of it. The swordsman's eyes widened momentarily, and his face lit up. "It's really good. I wouldn't expect anything else from Perona, though. As annoying as she is, she can make a good cake."

"I know! And her decoration skills are incredible, too. She said she's planning to open her own bakery, soon." Sanji took two dishes out of the basket, and set one in front of each of them, placing the containers of food between them. Zoro took another few bites from his cupcake, polishing it off.

"That's gonna be a lot of pink," the swordsman commented.

"You're right," Sanji agreed. "Now, let's eat." The cook reached for a sandwich, and Zoro for the onigiri. Sanji poured them each a glass of lemonade, and they started to eat, sitting next to each other and looking at the river. 

"This is nice," the swordsman stated, between bites of onigiri. "We really should do this more often. And before it starts to snow, too."

Sanji nodded, gazing at the trees across the river. "You're right. This is our spot now, you know."

Zoro smirked, stretching his legs out on the rock. "Our spot?"

"Yeah. We go here together, so it's our spot."

"I like this spot," the swordsman decided.

"I do too," the cook agreed, turning around to place the now-empty dishes back in the basket. "We should save the rest of this lemonade for later."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Zoro said, hopping off the rock and back to the ground.

The swordsman waited as the cook carefully climbed down, the picnic basket in one hand. Zoro helped him to the ground, and the two took off back down the trail, talking more than they did on the way there. 

"We should leave for Perona's as soon as we get home, so we can be there on time. I'll drive," Sanji offered.

"Alright, sounds good." Zoro smiled, taking Sanji's hand as they walked. 

They quickly made it back to Sanji's house, and the cook ran inside to change and drop off their things. Zoro got into the passenger seat of Sanji's car, tapping his foot against the floor. The cook got into the car, wearing his usual outfit of a suit and dress shirt, with a green tie. 

"Fancy," Zoro joked. Sanji rolled his eyes as he started the car, pulling out of the driveway and into the street. "Do you even know the way?"

"Of course I have. I've been to Perona's house before, you know."

"It's Mihawk's house, too, you know."

"He's always holed up in his room whenever I visit. Either that, or somewhere else in that huge house."

The swordsman chuckled. "So I'm not the only one who gets lost."

"It's easy to get lost! His house is like a maze," Sanji complained. 

"Isn't it? It's a wonder I survived growing up in that place."

The cook nodded in agreement and fell silent, focusing on the road. A few minutes passed, and the houses that they passed eventually became mansions, towering over the sidewalk. "It's this one," Zoro said, pointing at Gothic mansion, one of the largest on the street.

"I know which one it is. I've been here, I already said that." Sanji parked in the mansion's large driveway and got out of the car, locking it when Zoro followed. He walked up to the front door and knocked, then stepped back. The door swung open, and Perona appeared in the doorway. Her face lit up when she saw Zoro, and she pulled both men inside. 

"You're here! Guys, Zoro and Sanji are here!" The woman shouted, and her voice echoed in the large foyer. 

Luffy dashed into the room, wrapping Zoro in a hug. "Zoro! Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, Luffy." The swordsman managed to escape Luffy's grasp, but still allowed the boy to pull him by the arm into the dining room where the others were waiting. 

"Happy birthday, Zoro!" Chopper beamed up at Zoro, while Usopp, who had been helping himself to the snacks that Perona had provided, waved, his mouth still full of food. Brook played his violin, much to Nami's delight, and she and Law were sitting at the table and talking. Mihawk sat at the head of the table, a glass of wine in hand. He stood up when Zoro entered, and walked over. 

"Happy birthday. I got you a gift, I hope you like it." Mihawk handed Zoro a small box, and the man took it, removing the lid. His eyes grew wide as he lifted a small blade in the shape of a cross from the box, with a necklace chain attached to the sheath. It was almost identical to Mihawk's own necklace, but instead of gold, the metal was black.

"Thank you," Zoro whispered, returning the blade to its box. "I love it."

"Okay! Time for cake!" Perona announced, opening the large double doors behind Mihawk's seat. Franky and Robin appeared, with a large, tiered cake with green frosting between them. They set it down on the table, and stepped to the side, revealing three swords, one resting on each tier. Sanji's eye widened for a moment, but quickly returned to normal. 

"No way," Zoro muttered, stepping closer to the table. "It's incredible. Those look just like my swords."

"Franky, Robin and I made them!" Usopp grinned as he showed off his work. "We tried to make them look as accurate as possible! Did we do well?"

"You did it perfectly. I can barely tell the difference." Robin smiled at Zoro's comment, and Franky broke into a grin.

"So, Zoro," Sanji chimed in, wrapping an arm around Zoro's waist, "Are you enjoying your birthday so far?"

"Yeah. This birthday might top all the others, actually."

"Really?" The cook smirked, his eyebrow raised.

"Really," Zoro confirmed.


End file.
